Fine beer turns the tables on wine

Whether it’s a full-bodied Bordeaux to go with the beef Wellington, or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc with seafood, it’s important to get it just right.

But now a West Yorkshire brewery has challenged convention by suggesting the ideal drink to go with your fare is a fine beer or ale.

The award-winning Ilkley Brewery has teamed up with Yorkshire-born food consultant and Great British Menu contestant Stephanie Moon to produce the first Pint Chart – a handy guide to picking the perfect pint for any dish.

So, instead of that Pinot Noir with your pork chops, you need a glass of Ilkley Pale. And if shepherd’s pie is on tonight’s menu, pour out some Ilkley Best.

It even covers dessert, so it might be best to stock up on a variety pack.

“The days of the ale drinker with the flat cap and the whippet are long gone,” says Ms Moon. “Nowadays, it’s cool for young people to drink beer.”

And she’s not just self-promoting. The Cask Report 2011, released last week, found that real ale is increasingly popular among young drinkers seeking an alternative from ubiquitous lager and alcopops.

With microbreweries springing up in every corner of the country, each brewing in their own unique way, real ale drinkers have increased 11 per cent in the past five years.

And Yorkshire is right at the centre of the resurgence. Just last week, the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) said Yorkshire has more real ales and more breweries than any other part of the country, with 16 starting up in the past 12 months alone.

West Yorkshire alone has 43 established breweries and 276 regular beers, meaning there should be something to suit every palette.

“Suddenly in Britain, we have all these small suppliers creating these fantastic flavours,” says Stephanie, who also works at Rudding Park Hotel near Harrogate as a consultant.

“In the same way chefs use herbs and spices, brewers have hops as their seasoning and they ensure that every beer has a different character.

“The beauty of beer is that it’s not expensive and is produced by local people who are passionate about what they do and who seek to broaden the horizons of their drinkers.

“Even something that seems old-fashioned like stout – and that’s definitely seen as an old man’s drink – is being enjoyed by a new generation of drinkers.

“It’s a similar phenomenon to the craft beers in the United States, which had a massive impact and were very popular with young people.”

A director at Ilkley Brewery, Stewart Ross, agrees demand for proper beer is growing and more and more people are opting for a pint rather than a glass of wine with their meals.

“It’s big news at the moment that microbreweries are bucking the economic trend and we believe this is because people are increasingly fascinated by the provenance of their food and drink and take an interest in how things are made.

“There’s even a beer sommelier course in London now, matching beer and high-end cuisine.

“So just as wine experts know their cabernets from their pinots, we’re finding people are becoming more and more clued up on hop varieties.

“With this understanding of the broad range of flavours beers can produce – from delicate citrus light ales, to robust, creamy stouts – it stands to reason that beer should be paired with complementary food flavours and enjoyed, just like wine.”

For many it would be a dream job – sitting on a bar stool, tasting copious pints of Yorkshire ale, and pondering over what might be the perfect gastronomic accompaniment when hunger kicks in. But that’s exactly what they did in Ilkley.

Ms Moon explains: “It started by tasting all the Ilkley beers and then thinking, what foods would go well with this? Then it was a matter of cooking all the foods suggested and trying it all out. It took quite a while.

“We’ve tried to cater for as broad a range of tastes as possible, from the quick bar snack to the gourmet meal.

“Something I’ve noticed more and more working at the hotel is that people want a beer that perfectly matches what they’re eating.”

And in case you’re reading this at the bar, you’ll want a pint of Ilkley Original with that pork pie.